Chapter 61: Speculation

Xie Sen wept and laughed at the contract beasts who were gathered around to discuss the division of territory. The giant wolf beast and the giant rhinoceros beast didn’t have any ideas. The giant tiger beast suggested that they should use their original territory as a place to put the toys.

After discussing for a while, the contract beasts dispersed. The giant leopard beast went to move the soft cushion, while the giant tiger beast and the giant lion beast went to push the alloy balls, and put them into the vacant spot.

After making sure that the giant wolf beast, and the giant rhinoceros beast had said goodbye, Huo Feng and Zhao Hao summoned them into their space buckles.

Zhao Hao looked at Xie Sen. “Thanks. If you need help in the future, you can come to me directly. I’ll leave now.”

Xie Sen wasn’t polite, and just nodded. “Okay.”

Soon after Zhao Hao left, Xie Sen, Maine and Huo Feng left Gold Medal, then went to a restaurant nearby.

After they sat down, Xie Sen asked Huo Feng directly, “We’re going to go to Mining Planet A on the 15th. Can you arrange it?”

“No problem,” Huo Feng opened his bracelet, exchanged contact information with him, and then gave him and Maine each a form. “Fill out the application, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

Xie Sen opened the form, and filled it out while they waited for lunch. Maine also filled it out quickly, and they sent it to Huo Feng together.

After lunch, the three of them separated. Xie Sen and Maine didn’t go back to their apartment, instead they went to an orphanage in order to collect energy.

It was almost dinner time before they returned. However, when they came out of the parking lot they were stopped by a man in a military uniform.

Maine’s face instantly went cold. He knew this man was Meyer’s adjutant. The adjutant looked at Maine, and opened the shuttle door. “Lieutenant General Meyer wants to see you.”

Maine refused without thinking. “No.”

The adjutant froze. Apparently he hadn’t expected Maine to be so unforgiving. He whispered, “You should understand, you can’t refuse. It’s not good for anyone.”

Xie Sen immediately glared at the adjutant. “Are you threatening him?”

The adjutant said, “No, I’m just stating the facts.”

Xie Sen was about to say something else when Maine squeezed his palm. He stared at the adjutant, and sneered, “He knows I’m a flying lion beast master, right?”

Surprised by his insight, the adjutant nodded. “Yes.”

Maine snorted, “And what does this have to do with the Cox family?” His voice dropped abruptly. “Don’t waste my time. I’m not going back to the Cox family. But if you want to fight, I’ll do it!”

He took Xie Sen’s hand, and walked straight to the apartment.

The adjutant stood at the spot with wrinkled brows, then opened the bracelet to report the situation to Meyer.

Meyer listened to the adjutant’s transmission, quickly ended the communication and shook his head at Han Zheng who was sitting across from him. “He said he wouldn’t come back to the Cox family.”

“I expected that, but I just wanted to try again.” Han Zheng said. “We all underestimated him. It’s too late to make up for it now. Focus on training Cuomo in the future. As for Maine, he has nothing to do with the Cox family.”

Meyer was silent for a moment, “Yes.”

Han Zheng added, “Find a way to get Cuomo to bond as soon as possible. The Aben family’s Jay has strengthened his abilities after bonding, and recently shone in the military exercises. The Aben family is very strong.”

Meyer nodded. Han Zheng added, “By the way, the newest S class bonded master in the Yan family. You can pull him in a little, he is a good talent.”

Meyer agreed then Han Zheng asked, “How’s the Julos investigation going?”

Meyer rubbed his brow. “No clues. We’re eliminating suspects one by one, but we haven’t finished yet.”

Han Zheng slapped the table heavily. “He offended so many people at such a young age. So good!” His eyes were sharp. “This murder cannot be tolerated. This is a slap in the face of the Cox family!”

Meyer, “Yes. I’ve been putting pressure on the police.”

Han Zheng said, “Change the direction of the investigation. Since the other side could do it so cleanly, they were likely to have been prepared in advance. Julos was grounded by you, so why did he suddenly go to the forest? And who knew that he went to the forest? Investigate everything clearly.”

Meyer said, “I’ll arrange it.”

Han Zheng looked at his back as he left, and disappointment flashed in his eyes.

Maine and Xie Sen returned to the apartment. Xie Sen saw Maine’s face was still cold, and patted his arm, “Don’t be unhappy. Come on, smile!”

Maine looked at him. He reached out, wrapped his arms around his waist and pinned him against the wall. “I’m not unhappy that you’re here. I just find it ironic that I’m glad I don’t have any connection to the Cox family right now,” he said with a frown. “No, there’s still my last name. I’ll submit a name change request later.”

Xie Sen was curious,.”What are you changing it to?”

“Maine. That’s the name my dad gave me, and I’m used to it.”

Xie Sen said, “Well, Maine alone sounds much better.”

Maine’s eyes showed a smile. He lifted his hand to caress the back of his ear, then gently rubbed his soft and slightly cool earlobe. He lowered his head, gradually moved closer to him, and kissed him lightly on the lips. “You’re so nice.”

Xie Sen tilted his head. The tingling sensation from his ears to his heart made him weak in the knees. He grabbed Maine’s arm, “I’ll go make dinner.”

Maine paused slightly, then kissed him heavily on the lips. “I’ll do it. You rest for a while.”

Maine went to the kitchen to make dinner, while Xie Sen sat on the living room couch ready to watch the news. As soon as he entered the Starnet, he saw the headline floating at the top.

[Two A Class Beast Masters successfully bonded in one day!]

He clicked in, scanned through, and saw Huo Feng and Zhao Hao’s names.

[Several senior beast masters have recently formed a contract. Every time I read the news, it’s as if I thought it was easy to form a contract!]

[Plus one. Yet where’s my contract beast! (growl)]

[Oh my, aren’t these the two people who went to the contract beast meeting today? They weren’t bonded before the live broadcast was closed, so how come they’re suddenly bonded?]

There were many replies below this comment, and Xie Sen saw the mention of the live stream and thought nothing of clicking in.

[I am also a live viewer. When I saw the news, I thought I missed it in the middle of watching the live broadcast. Before the live broadcast was turned off, there was really no contract, right?]

[Right! And I remember Zhao Hao and the giant rhinoceros beast confronted each other, and he failed to suppress the giant rhinoceros beast, so how did he form a contract? I’m simply too curious!]

[Curious plus one, ah ah ah! Why did the anchor turn off the live broadcast ah! I actually missed the process of the A class beast master forming a contract.]

The viewers who hadn’t seen the live broadcast were confused, [What live broadcast? I feel like I missed something amazing.]

[The live broadcast of ‘Contract Beasts.’ The live broadcast is all about senior contract beasts, super handsome and cute!]

[No, ah. I have accounts on several major live platforms, such a live room, how could it not be found?]

[The anchor is on the new platform ‘Three Trees Live’. Before in Trill, he was blocked and he terminated his contract. The contract beast live forum has a recording screen, you can go to make up for it.] Attached was the forum address.

Xie Sen clicked into the forum and saw all the recorded screens of his live broadcast. There were many replies under each recorded screen, and he found the latest comments.

[From the news catechism, this is too handsome! As if I missed a billion!]

[Yes, anchor, you go to the big platform that has long been read through Star City, right? Why go to a platform that no one has not even heard of?]

[Three Trees’ boss is Maine, the anchor’s boyfriend, and besides, the big platforms aren’t as good as the small platforms when it comes to blocking live rooms.]

[I’m more curious after seeing the recording screen. How did Zhao Hao tie the knot?]

[I’m also curious, the confrontation when the giant rhinoceros beast suddenly halted its momentum was also very strange.]

[Hey, the intelligence and combat power of the contract beasts in the live broadcast are too high. This move I do not understand. Doubting their intelligence.]

[The way the anchor suddenly turned off the live broadcast is also a bit strange. Now that I think about it, it seems to be deliberate to not let us see the process of the contract.]

[Is he trying to hide something? Really too curious. Tomorrow when the live broadcast comes on, I hope that the anchor can solve the doubt.]

[Squat live!]

Xie Sen shrugged helplessly. The audience’s curiosity was too strong. As he was thinking about it, his bracelet rang. It was an unfamiliar communication. He picked up and the other party said directly, “Is this Xie Sen? This is Cuomo Cox.”

Xie Sen raised his eyebrows, and leaned back on the couch. “What can I do for you?”

“I want to know how Zhao Hao made the contract,” Cuomo asked directly.

“He didn’t want to call it quits, so he tried again and then it worked,” Xie Sen said.

Cuomo obviously didn’t believe it. “Is that really the case?”

“Or what?” Xie Sen asked rhetorically.

“Recently, the senior beast masters who have made a contract are not only Zhao Hao and Huo Feng today, but also Jay Aben and Yan Qi not long ago. Coincidentally, you were there when they made a contract. Jay and Yan Qi made a point of sending you gifts when you opened the live stream. What are they doing other than saying thank you?”

Xie Sen, “It’s not a thank you. It’s just a friend who’s there.”

Cuomo’s voice lowered, “I have seen Yan Qi’s contract beast. Although he is very powerful, it’s impossible to make the flying rhinoceros beast submissive. Their bonding must be related to you.” He then said, “I want to make a contract with the giant lion beast, the price is open.”

Xie Sen said, “You should go to the giant lion beast. If you can make it submit, it will be the same as Zhao Hao. Just pay 10 million. If not, more money is useless.”

“You’re refusing to help me?” Cuomo said irritably.

“I can’t do anything.”

Cuomo said in a dark voice, “I won’t give up. If you change your mind, call me anytime. The price is not a problem.”

Xie Sen looked at the ended communication and grimaced. Rich men were different. He had just hung up the communication, when the bracelet rang again. He picked up. The other party’s voice was gentle, “This is Qiao Shao.”

“What’s up?” Xie Sen guessed the reason for his visit, but asked politely.

“I want to make a contract with a giant tiger beast, and I will definitely not pay less than Zhao Hao,” he said, then added. “I know you can do it.”

When Yan Qi made the deed, Qiao Shao was there. Xie Sen knew he couldn’t fool him, and after some thought, he said, “I can’t help it if the giant tiger beast doesn’t accept you. As you can see, the giant rhinoceros beast took the initiative to pull in its aura. In the forest, the flying rhinoceros beast also took the initiative to try to form a contract with Yan Qi.”

Qiao Shao murmured, “So that’s how it is.” His voice lifted slightly in anticipation. “You are familiar with the giant tiger beast. How can I get it to accept me, please?”

Xie Sen thought for a moment. “The giant tiger beast cares a lot about the fighting ability of the beast master.”

Qiao Shao was silent for a moment. “I know. I will try to exercise, you… Can you not let it bond with other beast masters?”

Xie Sen, “I can’t make a decision on this. Contract beasts have independent minds just like humans. They will choose their own beast masters.”

Qiao Shao, “I know, thank you.”

“Qiao Shao?” Maine came over with dinner, just in time to hear the last sentence before he ended the communication. His brow was furrowed.

Xie Sen nodded, “Well, Cuomo contacted me before him, too, wanting to bond with the contract beast. There was news online about Huo Feng and Zhao Hao’s bonding, and they speculated it had something to do with me.” His right hand took the bowl while his left hand went to take the chopsticks Maine handed over. “I refused them all. If the contract beast doesn’t accept the beast master, I can’t help them.”

Maine took his wrist and pointed at his bracelet. “Delete Qiao Shao’s communication record. Don’t have any more contact with him.”

Xie Sen looked at him with amusement, as he twisted his wrist from side to side, and tried to withdraw it from his hand, “You’re not jealous, are you?”

Xie Sen could not help but frown when he felt the pain. “Be gentle, my hand is going to break!”

Maine abruptly relaxed his hold, and sat down next to him. He rubbed his wrist. Then he kissed him, and looked crestfallen. “I’m sorry, I… I’m sorry, I… blacklist him. No more contact with him!”

Xie Sen’s fingers unconsciously clenched into a fist. “What are you jealous of? Qiao Shao has no intentions towards me. He’s only heard that I am a plant beast master from the Plant Department and then approached for that. Not because of me.”

Maine was insecure when he thought of how the beast masters had looked at Xie Sen today. “You’re so good and have special abilities. He definitely won’t give up on you.”

Xie Sen laughed, and kissed him on the lips. “I’m not a millionaire, and many people know we’re a couple. They won’t hit on me. Don’t worry.”

As he moved to withdraw, Maine cupped the back of his head and gave him a deep kiss. Then he took a moment to let go, and looked down at him. “You’re mine!”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Xie Sen responded to his words, and patted his arm. “Eat. It’ll go cold.”

Maine gave him a kiss on the lips before he released him, then glanced at his bracelet before he started eating, “If he contacts you again, you tell him to contact me and I’ll pass on anything.”

This was already a concession. Xie Sen was very helpless in front of his insecurity, and just nodded to respond. However he couldn’t help but tease, “You are simply a jealous person.”

The jealous Maine said, “I won’t give anyone a chance. You’re mine!”

After they ate, Xie Sen washed the dishes, cut a quarter of a watermelon and put it on a plate to eat with Maine. He took another large bowl, put it on the table and said to Maine, “Spit the watermelon seeds into the bowl, and save them for seeds later.”

Although the wood energy that corresponded to the green plants hadn’t been retrieved yet, it was always good to prepare in advance. A watermelon had many seeds, so if he started collecting them now, when the energy was recovered, he could grow many watermelons at once. He could then sell them directly as well as using them himself, unlike peppers that had to be saved for planting after they ripened.

The two had just finished eating, when Tuan Tuan flew in the window. Xie Sen took a piece of melon rind and put it in the corner. Tuan Tuan screamed with joy, landed on it and started pecking.

Xie Sen thought about the last time he went to the forest and how Tuan Tuan got angry, so he said, “Tuan Tuan, next Friday, the 15th, we’re going to go out.”

“Chirp?” Tuan Tuan lifted his round head from the melon skin, cocked his head to look at him, then flew to his hand. Its two wings came forward and enclosed his hand in the middle.

Xie Sen’s hand moved and it moved with it. Xie Sen thought for a moment. “You want to come along?”

“Chirp!” Tuan Tuan nodded his round head, and then rubbed his head against Xie Sen’s hand.

Xie Sen looked at its palm size, it would be simple to travel together, but he was still a little uneasy. “We are going to a resource planet. I don’t know if there is any food for you there. You should wait.”

He opened the bracelet ready to check the situation of Mining Star A, when Maine said, “Actually, Mining Planet A is mountainous and rich in minerals. There are many kinds of wild animals in the mountains, so as long as it has the ability to hunt, there will be food.”

Tuan Tuan flew to Maine with a wave of its wings, spun in a circle, then flew to Xie Sen while its right wing flapped its chest. “Chirp, chirp, chirp!”

Xie Sen pondered its movements, while his eyes overflowed with laughter. “You mean, you do have the ability to hunt?”

“Chirp!” It nodded its fluffy feathered head.

Xie Sen said, “Okay, let’s go together then.”

Tuan Tuan gave a cheer, flew to the half-eaten melon rind and continued to eat.

When Tuan Tuan finished eating, Xie Sen cleaned up the table, put away the watermelon seeds, then went to the kitchen to dispose of the remaining melon rind and put it in the refrigerator.

Maine stood in the kitchen doorway, his eyes glued to him. As he was looking at Xie Sen, a message beeped on Maine’s bracelet. He opened it. It was an unfamiliar communication number, [It’s on me. I did what you said.]

He replied, [Yeah, definitely.]

In another place, the police officer replied to Meyer, “Lieutenant General, according to the investigation, Yan Qi didn’t lie. He did receive a communication that day, but the communicator was destroyed and left no trace. It appears he was used.”

Meyer said in a dark voice, “The other party used Yan Qi to convey the news that Cuomo went to the forest to look for the giant lion beast to Rohat, then used Rohat to convey it to Julos. This person at least knew that Yan Qi and Rohat would meet by chance, and at the same time knew that Rohat was going to look for Julos.”

The officer said, “Yes. Rohat is an important part of the investigation. We will focus on the people he had contact with at the time, and who knew he was going to find Master Cox.”

“Hard work.”

Xie Sen returned to the living room after handling the melon rind, and saw Maine sending a message with a sneer on his lips. He walked up behind Maine and put his hand on his shoulder casually, “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing.” Maine sent the message, then deleted it. He put his hand behind his back, then got up, walked around the couch to pick him up and headed to the bedroom.

Xie Sen understood his intentions immediately, and patted his arm. “It’s still early. Let’s talk about business first.”

Maine said, “Let’s talk inside.” He carried Xie Sen straight to the bathroom, put him down and reached out to undress him. Xie Sen grabbed his collar, “You don’t have to deal with the company today?”

“No.” Maine took him by the waist, pressed them together and kissed him.

Xie Sen tilted his head. “But I still have to train the plants. By the way, you haven’t seen my new plant!”

Maine let go of him slightly, “New plant?”

Xie Sen nodded, and with his chin he gestured outward. Maine hesitated for a moment, then let him go.

Xie Sen took his hand and walked to the bedroom. He sat him on a stool, and summoned the rice. The stalks were bare and devoid of any fruit.

“This is a rice plant, The hull is the grain, you can make it into rice,” Xie Sen asked, “Have you eaten it?”

Maine shook his head, “It’s expensive and hard to get.”

Xie Sen thought of his experience, and couldn’t help but feel pain. He didn’t hesitate, and spent two energy in exchange for two taels 1 All of a sudden, the ears were full of rice. He held Maine’s hand and smiled. “I’ll cook congee for you tomorrow morning.”

Maine took Xie Sen’s hand in his opposite hand, pulled Xie Sen to sit facing him on his lap, and said warmly, “Okay.” His fingers paused at Xie Sen’s neckline, then pulled it down slightly to reveal Xie Sen’s right shoulder and the five-colored peony.

The peony had changed. The red petal was brightly colored and contrasted with the rest of the petals colors which were dull as before. After the red energy was collected, it had become like this.

Maine’s finger rubbed lightly on it. “Why are there so many plants? The contract beast general knowledge textbook says that the plant line beast masters, like the animal line beast masters, only have one contract plant.”

Xie Sen said, “I’m not the same as a plant master.”

Maine looked at him, his eyes a little uneasy. “You are too amazing, with incredible abilities. It’s as if you do not belong here.”

Xie Sen’s heart moved. At this moment he suddenly wanted to tell Maine the truth, but then he thought, if Maine knew that he had come from another world, whether he could accept it was one thing, even if he accepted it, Sen was afraid that he would only become more uneasy. So he wrapped his arms around Maine’s neck and said, “Don’t think about it. Just don’t think of me as an alien.”

“No, you aren’t!” Maine frowned, and nibbled on his lips. “You’re the best.” He licked the bite soothingly, while his hand around Xie Sen unconsciously began to push harder.

The two were pressed close together. Xie Sen was sitting on top of him, and the position between them was extraordinarily suggestive. Xie Sen’s body soon heated up, and he was unable to resist returning the kiss.

The bedroom was hot, and the two of them had a good time in the sitting position, then Xie Sen was carried to the bathroom by Maine to clean up and get eaten again.

As for training the plant, it was completely forgotten.

The two of them made a lot of mischief, but they went to bed early. Xie Sen still woke up early the next day. When he opened his eyes, he saw Maine watching him with his head up. He didn’t know how long he had been staring.

Maine was really good-looking, and with the morning light on his face, his white skin glowed. Xie Sen looked until his heart moved, then leaned over and kissed him, “Good morning.”

Maine grabbed him, and kissed him deeply, his voice slightly hoarse, “Good morning.”

Xie Sen’s thighs were still burning. When he heard Maine’s voice, he was alarmed, so he pushed him away and rolled to his feet. He quickly changed his clothes, and put on his shoes. “I’ll cook you some porridge.”

Maine watched him leave in a slight panic, and a smile flashed in his eyes. He rose and went to wash up.

Xie Sen went to the kitchen and summoned the rice. He thought about it, took out two bowls and ordered, “Put the husk in the left bowl, and the rice in the right bowl. Turn them all into rice grains.”

In the blink of an eye, all the rice on the ears disappeared, and the left bowl had half a bowl of husk broken into powder, while the right bowl was full of white grains of rice.

Xie Sen looked at the rice and couldn’t help but gulp. Just by looking at it, it was as if he could smell the rice. He washed the rice, added water and cooked it. He then looked at the husk, but couldn’t think of a use for it.

Maine had already finished washing up, and stayed behind him the whole time he was doing his own washing up, as he held him by the waist and touched him every now and then.

Xie Sen finished brushing his teeth, took a towel and warned, “Don’t move, or you’ll be the one who suffers.”

Maine nibbled on his shoulder. “I can’t help it. I want to touch you when I see you.”

Xie Sen scowled, and thought that this was no good. “Go to the kitchen to see how the porridge is doing, then fry two pieces of meat, or you won’t get enough.”

Maine let go of him after a while. “Okay.”

Xie Sen finished washing up. As soon as he arrived in the living room, he smelled the rich smell of rice, which made his stomach protest. He hadn’t felt anything, but now suddenly he felt very hungry.

He went to the kitchen where Maine was frying meat and said, “It will be ready later.”

The porridge tasted especially good. Xie Sen felt like his mouth was full of rice flavor after he ate it, and couldn’t help but taste it again.

Xie Sen said, “This time when we come back, ask President Ma if he can open the back door and sell some rice to us.”

Anyway, they are not short of money now!

Maine cleaned up the dishes, and Xie Sen suddenly thought, “It’s strange that Grandfather didn’t show up. Wasn’t he always interested in food in the past?” And he had a good sense of smell.

Maine said, “He and Long Teng went out, and aren’t at home.”

Xie Sen drifted off. No wonder Long Teng hadn’t shown up for such a lively meetup.

A few days went by. There was a lot of discussion about Xie Sen on the Starnet, and the popularity of the live stream was skyrocketing, while viewers constantly asked about Zhao Hao’s contract. Xie Sen simply left a small line directly on the live stream interface. It was the same answer he gave Cuomo.

[Stop asking. The answer is Zhao Hao later tried again, and then succeeded.]

Many people didn’t believe it and continued to question, but they were suppressed by the fans in the live room, [Hahaha! Anchor, this way is good, save saliva!]

[Don’t ask and look at the screen!]

[Curious about what? Is the roar of the giant tiger beast too much for you, or is Little Spot not cute anymore?]

Xie Sen occasionally looked at the pop-up screen. He was amused by the fans and straight out laughed. Originally he was prepared to go off the air during the time on Mining Planet A, but then he hesitated.

Finally, the day before he left, he approached the contract beasts to discuss it. He proposed to let Sun Mao open the live broadcast, but that was rejected by the giant leopard beast, “It’s just pressing the button. It’s simple. I’ll do it!”

Xie Sen saw it was sure, and also thought its IQ was completely adequate. Since they didn’t have bracelets, he bought a terminal to hang on the wall. The live operation interface split on the terminal. When he adjusted the interface, the rest of the buttons shrank, and the start button occupied half of the interface.

“Press it to start the live broadcast, then press it again to close. You try it.” He finished, and opened the live stream.

The contract beasts gathered around curiously. The giant leopard beast raised its fleshy paw and touched it on the start screen. Xie Sen saw their figures appear in the live stream and smiled. “Try to close it.”

The next moment, the live stream went black, and the giant leopard beast rubbed up against him, “Easy.”

The viewers in the live room were confused, [Did the Starnet go down again? What’s going on!]

[Did I lose my eyesight? Did the live stream just turn on for a few seconds?]